Una Ración…Darter Style

Whilst the soporific heat here in la Mancha means a lot of people are staying in cool areas if wise, and also eating less and generally salads and fruit, this doesn´t seem to affect the insect life who thrive in this heat. And it certainly doesn´t affect their appetite. My wife seems to have the type of blood that mosquitoes like, whereas I probably smell too bad for them. The dragonflies certainly have not lost their appetite as can be seen here where a Red-Veined darter is munching happily on what seems to be a male Blue-tailed Damselfly. Mmmm delicious, but where´s the salad?

Butterflies are seen all over the countryside and the quantity of dragon and damselflies is stunning. In some places, the quantity of house flies can be overwhelming, making it very difficult to rest in the shade when all they want to do is to walk all over your legs and arms.

In the harsh afternoon sun the dragonflies can be seen zipping about the reeds and edges of water patrolling their territory. The Emperor Dragonflies in particular are easy to observe, if not a trifle difficult to get still long enough for focus. Out at the Tablas de Daimiel on Thursday I was impressed by the number of these Red-veined Darters which, with their bright red colour, are highly visible. Everywhere you looked they were flying, landing and eating. I´m not sure how they manage to keep cool in this heat, but I sure wish they´d share their secret…because I´m dying here and there´s no end in sight to the 36-40C temps we have at the moment.